Ancient Peaks Winery

Ancient Peaks is a family-owned winery specializing in wines from the sustainably-farmed estate Margarita Vineyard in the Paso Robles AVA on California’s Central Coast. Occasional small lots come from Wittstrom Vineyard and San Juan Vineyard, both of which are owned by the proprietors of Ancient Peaks Winery.

Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles region, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard resides on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, which was first planted to grape vines by Franciscan missionaries in 1780. The name Ancient Peaks honours the tall peaks surrounding Margarita Vineyard, which were formed by the collision of the coastal plates. Over time, these same geologic forces blessed the region with five soil zones – ancient sea bed, sedimentary, shale, volcanic and granitic – that bring natural complexity to wines produced there.

The winemaking approach is founded upon three core values: ensuring that the character of the vineyard is vividly expressed in the wine; preserving and honouring true varietal character in each wine; and achieving natural quality without a reliance on heavy-handed winemaking techniques.

“If only more small wineries were dedicated to making good value, handcrafted wines like Ancient Peaks, California might be able to live down its overpriced reputation.”Tim Fish, Wine Spectator, Dec 2010

“Ancient Peaks is quickly becoming one of our favourite consistent producers of affordable wines with lots of personality, sourced form the Margarita Vineyard, just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean.”MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator, Nov 2014